First program set for Dec. 1 at Selby Library
In response to concerns over civil liberties in the upcoming Trump administration, the Sarasota Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida will hold a series of monthly programs titled Ask the ACLU, the organization has announced.
The concerns over civil liberties were raised during the presidential campaign, when President-elect Donald Trump “made numerous promises that have been deemed un-American, unlawful and unconstitutional by the ACLU,” a news release says.
On Thursday, Dec. 1, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Selby Library Geldbart Auditorium, the Sarasota Chapter of the ACLU of Florida will launches the series, “addressing the overall concerns with the incoming administration and answering questions attendees have about our long-established civil liberties under the Bill of Rights,” the release adds. The panelists will be Andrea Mogensen, Grissim Walker, Pete Tannen and Michael Barfield. The meeting is free and open to the public, and no RSVP is required; light refreshments will be served, the release notes.
The library is located at 1331 First St. in downtown Sarasota.
Future programs will address deportation in the U.S. (Jan. 5); discrimination, registries and surveillance in America (Feb. 2); access to abortion (April 6); protection of LGBT rights (May 4); and police and community relations, and race-based policing (June 1). The chapter will hold its annual meeting on a date to be announced in March.
“All programs are non-partisan; the goal is to inform and empower,” the release says.
“Our national office has very clearly indicated that it will be vigilant in ensuring that any action the Trump administration takes that encroaches on our cherished freedoms and rights will be vigorously challenged at every turn,” said Barfield, vice president of ACLU Florida, in the release. “By bringing the community together to learn about their civil liberties and discuss areas of concern, we hope to engage and motivate the entire community in the fight to maintain the freedom and justice of all Americans.”